‘3-Minute Theology’ inspires, excites St. Bernard Academy students

The students were inspired to make their own “3 Minute Theology” video which they played for Watson during her visit to the school. The weekly videos, which feature Watson giving a brief description of an aspect of Church teaching or Catholic life, can be viewed at www.dioceseofnashville.com/three-minute-theology.

When Colleen Mooy, a fifth and sixth grade religion teacher at St. Bernard Academy, began searching the internet for short Catholic theology clips to supplement her instruction, she found videos originating from New York, Chicago, California, and places unknown.

Little did she realize then, that the clips she finally found most enlightening started right in her own home of the Diocese of Nashville.

“I don’t know what I Googled,” Mooy said of her search. “It certainly wasn’t ‘3-Minute Theology.’ I just stumbled across it.”

A search of “short Catholic theology clips” will bring up countless possibilities, from lesser-known and well-known sources such as Bishop Robert Barron, Dr. Scott Hahn, Father Dave Dwyer’s “Busted Halo,” and catholicscomehome.org. Mooy, however, continued searching.

“There are some really wonderful videos out there,” she said. “I was looking for someone really inspiring, but a lot of the videos were six to eight minutes long.”

She chose a series of videos called “3-Minute Theology” and began using them last fall in her classes with great success, but didn’t realize until later that the face of the videos is Joan Watson, director of adult formation for the Diocese of Nashville.

Joan Watson, director of adult formation for the Diocese of Nashville, recently visited St. Bernard Academy where students have been using her “3 Minute Theology” video series in their religion classes.

One link she clicked led back to the diocesan website where she found Watson’s name and role. Mooy was so thrilled by the discovery she emailed Watson to tell her that people are watching her videos and learning from them.

“That meant so much to me,” Watson said. “If people don’t tell me, I don’t know the impact they are making.”

“3-Minute Theology” celebrated its first anniversary in September 2017. Watson is quick to say that it has been a collaborative effort supported by the diocese. Bill Staley, director of youth and young adult ministry for the diocese, for instance, came up with the title.

Taking on a multitude of subjects such as the seven deadly sins, communion, and anointing of the sick, it wasn’t originally intended for children. Watson was gearing the videos at teens and adults.

“It is an attempt to form people where they are,” Watson said, “and where they are is in front of their computers and on their mobile devices.”

For Mooy, the videos helped her with a problem she can’t control: time. In a 46-minute class, she wanted lessons with brevity, conciseness and appeal.

There is a consistency to the videos which connected with Mooy’s students: The opening is a black screen with a silly riddle or joke written in large white letters.

The video that explains the role of the bishop breaks the ice with: The bishop was at Mass today. I think he was an imposter. Not once did he move diagonally. Another opens with: What do Winnie the Pooh and John the Baptist have in common? The same middle name.

Watson sits at a desk, her orange mug at her right hand, and speaks into the camera offering not just background, but apologetics as well. The “Communion” clip explains why non-Catholics can’t participate in communion at Mass, and “Call no man Father” addresses why Catholics call priests “Father.”

“She never made it over your head,” Mooy said of Watson’s style. “Her neutrality manages to make the words applicable to any person so the topic stands out.”

Both Mooy and Watson said teachers who use the videos in the classroom have to use discernment as not all topics are applicable to all age groups. The seven deadly sins, for instance, aren’t appropriate for Mooy’s students, but could be for older religion students. In Mooy’s classes, students have studied the beatitudes and the sacraments.

Another benefit is that through the students, the videos may be making it back to its original target audience of adults, and more specifically, the parents who, by strengthening their own catechetical foundation, can support their children in their own faith journey.

Watson said that word got back to her of one mother, whose children attend public school, and “binge watch” “3-Minute Theology.”

“It’s definitely a hope that parents would become more involved through “3-Minute Theology,” said Waston, who previously taught religious education teachers and heard many times that children aren’t supported in the faith by their parents.

Additionally, at St. Bernard, the videos are reaching children who aren’t even Catholic. St. Bernard’s enrollment is 42 percent non-Catholic. Mooy said one non-Catholic student told her she loved the clip about the crèche and learning that it was where the Baby Jesus slept and that the pope blesses the children’s creches at Christmas.

One gauge of the success of videos in Mooy’s class is their engagement and excitement.

“The kids are hooked as soon as they see the title screen and they are excited,” she said.

And now they have a personal connection with Watson. The students wrote a letter to Watson telling her they liked the videos. That letter brought her to the school recently. Before about 100 students and some faculty and administration, Watson answered their questions about “3-Minute Theology.”

“They wanted to know the behind the scenes stuff,” she said. They learned that orange is her favorite color, but she can’t wear it on camera, which is the reason for the orange mug. She films about six videos per day and a new video is released each Tuesday.

But they also showed an acuity about their religion studies that impressed Watson.

“At first I was surprised that kids would want to watch ‘3-Minute Theology,’” Watson said. “But it makes me excited that they are also advanced in their theological ponderings.”

Mooy said the students enjoy using the orange pencils and stickers showing the “3-Minute Theology” logo that Watson brought.

For their “culmination project” on the beatitudes in December, students came up with the idea to do their own “3-Minute Theology” video explaining the “happy bags” they create and give to veterans and using Scripture to support the rationale behind their choices. This video is posted on St. Bernard’s Facebook page as “Religion Project – 5th Level.”

Watson’s videos can be found on You Tube by searching for 3-Minute Theology or by the link at www.dioceseofnashville.com/three-minute-theology. Once on the You Tube site, viewers can opt to subscribe and have the videos delivered to their inbox each Tuesday.